Northern Skies
by n0vad0se
Summary: Seth Clearwater was always told imprinting was supposed to be perfect. Then he meets Astrid Biers for the first time, screaming and shouting at him in a parking lot, and it's obvious that life is only going to get a lot crazier for him... Seth/OC
1. Bad Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.**

**A/N: Well, hey there guys and girls! This is my first story on this account... I haven't honestly written on this site for a long time but I still remember how it works and I'd love some feedback! Just so you know, this story is set seven years after Breaking Dawn and follows Seth's life. He's around about twenty-one and a LOT has changed in his weird world. It would be really lovely to just hear whether this is worth continuing... Thanks!**

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**North Star**

**1: Bad Beginnings**

I sighed as I pulled into the tiny parking lot of Ron's Food Mart. It was the only place in a fifty mile radius of the reservation that sold the _right_ kind of baking powder – well, according to Emily anyway. It was Leah's first weekend back home since moving out to Seattle on a photography internship and my mom was set on baking her something called a Victoria Sponge cake. The problem? Mom was God awful at baking, and I knew that the only way this venture could possibly go right was to follow the perfected recipe Emily had kindly bestowed upon us.

Usually Charlie Swan, my mother's long-time boyfriend and the Chief of Police here in Forks, ran every errand she could come up with (once he'd even driven to Port Angeles to pick up something stupid for her off of eBay in the middle of the night) but he was at a county meeting this afternoon and it was left up to me to hunt down freaking cake ingredients. As if I didn't have enough on my plate at the moment, too.

After trying in vain to parallel park for almost ten minutes I gave up and slammed my car to a halt. Getting out of the rust-gathering old Astra that I lovingly called mine and out into the constant downpour that Washington was so well-known for, I realized that I'd parked over about three designated bays. Oh well. I was in a damn hurry. It would be fine.

"Excuse me, where's the baking section?" I called over to the girl at the check-out as I entered the store. She looked vaguely familiar. I think Brady might've dated her last summer but I couldn't be certain.

She looked up and smiled at me, like pretty much all girls did nowadays, and said, "At the back, cutie, just down from the tinned ravioli!"

Ever since I had grown into my muscles and abnormal height during my junior year of high school it could be said I started getting a _lot_ of female attention. One time a soccer mom even tried coming onto me at First Beach – and I'm not exaggerating at all when I tell you she even asked if I could babysit her thirteen-year-old son that very same evening. Sometimes it was funny and kind of flattering and, admittedly, it made me feel pretty damn good about myself; however none of it ever felt like it meant anything to me.

I mean, I'd had several girlfriends but nothing that you could call serious - it was also extremely hard to have a relationship with someone with the worry of imprinting always on your mind. And, yeah, I guess that was pretty sad when you thought about for long enough.

"Thanks a lot… _Callie_," I read from her name-tag.

Yeah, she seemed like a nice ordinary girl. Callie was a nice ordinary name. Maybe if I ever had time I could talk to her some more.

Picking up the colourful tub of baking powder and some fresh eggs, I made my way quickly back to the check-out and handed over a crumpled handful of bills and left without waiting for my change. Since becoming the Alpha of both Sam and Jake's joined packs everything had changed. I found I was always in a rush to go somewhere or do something, whether it was tribal meetings or sorting out the schedule for patrols or running all the way up to Canada to discuss the current safety of Clallam County with my almost-step-sister Bella and her family.

The funny thing was, in the first weeks of becoming a shape shifter I never honestly thought I would end up as the one in charge. I'd always been the kid that got under everyone's feet or was told to shut up if I even tried to make an input into the going-ons of pack life. Then Emily popped out a few kids and Sam stopped phasing, and his pack fell to Jacob. Then the Cullen's decided it was time they had to relocate and Jacob went with them to British Columbia. Since I was his Beta, after Leah stopped phasing so she could get on with her human life, I was expected to take charge. So I did. (Without any complaints, I might add.)

Two years and four months later, here I am. I have the weight of being an Alpha on my shoulders and I'm still sent out on errands by my mother like I'm prepubescent again.

As I jogged out into the parking lot I lazily acknowledged the beat-up Bronco that was pulling in from Calawah Way. Without a second thought I got into my car and dumped the grocery bag in the backseat, making a mental note that I needed to rope one of the pups into cleaning out my jalopy someday soon.

I hadn't even twisted round properly in the driver's seat when something hit the back of the Astra. If I hadn't been so stupidly large the harsh impact would've probably caused me to smack my forehead against the windscreen. I felt myself start to shudder.

This guy was going to have Hell to pay if they'd got even the tiniest scratch on my precious car.

"What the actual fuck?!" It took me a moment to realise that I was already shouting at the mystery driver of the Bronco before I'd even fully gotten out of the Astra.

I continued, "You can easily see I'm parked here – literally about to drive off – and you couldn't wait two seconds before deciding to be a complete asshole!"

It was easy to say that I was stressed. I never usually cursed… Well, up until recently I'd never really had a reason to.

My skin was starting to feel looser, like it always did when one of us shapeshifters got angry or upset, and I had to remind myself to breathe deeply. No matter how pissed I was at this jerk I couldn't risk phasing in the middle of town.

"Hey, just shut up a second!" Came a very unexpected female voice from the large truck.

Suddenly this small blonde thing opened the door and climbed out, giving it straight back at me.

"If you hadn't been stupid enough to park across _three_ freaking spaces then I wouldn't have had to try to manoeuvre around your shitter of a car, would I now?!"

"Oh because_ you're_ such a fantastic driver…" And that was when her scowl met my scowl.

Oh, please not now. Not now. Shit.

I was pretty sure my heart had actually stopped beating for those ten intense seconds where our eyes were locked together. Her eyes were blue. A deep, watery sort of blue. Like the most perfect ocean imaginable. I felt myself stop shaking; the anger that had coarsed through every bone in my body instantly dissipated into pure astonishment and wonder and every good feeling you could ever possibly think of.

I'd found my imprint. I had finally found my freaking imprint!

But in the midst of my elation, I remembered she was still screaming at me… And it didn't look like she was going to ease up anytime soon.


	2. The Bracelet

******Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.**

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**2: The Bracelet**

All I could do was stare at her.

Sure, it must've looked totally creepy, but I just couldn't help it. I wanted to take in every inch of my imprint, even if she was currently threatening to castrate me if I even thought about claiming on her insurance. With her bare hands - I might add.

She had long blonde hair that seemed to blow in every direction the wind went, making her look almost... _Wild_. Yeah, I liked that. Wild was good in my world.

"...You fucking moron!" She finally concluded, breathing heavily. It was almost as if calling me every name under the Sun had gotten her out of breath.

Then it was as if she realised I was_ still_ staring at her. A look of _he's freaking me out_ crossed her face and I had to force myself to glance away for a moment. I didn't want to scare her off - although she didn't seem like the type of girl who scared easily. Maybe that was a good thing.

"I'm Seth," it spilled out before I could stop it.

Jesus Christ. I hadn't experienced word vomit since middle school.

She glowered. "Do I look like I give a shit?"

I needed to get her to calm down so I could find out her name. Then I could maybe start to function properly again. All worries of the pack and my family and nomads seemed to be almost non-existent next to the desperate need to get to know my imprint, and I couldn't just put everything off in the hope that she would fall in love with me if we stood here in this rainy parking lot long enough.

But I really wanted to.

"I'm sorry for getting pissed at you, OK?" I said. "It was my fault for parking... Like an _asshole_."

It wasn't really my fault.

"OK... Good," she said slowly, eyeing me suspiciously.

We stood there for a minute or two in silence, neither one of us knowing quite what to say or do. It was then that I noticed she was wearing one of the bracelets that they sold in the souvenir shop back at the reservation. There was a small wolf charm surrounded by little wooden beads that wrapped around her thin wrist. I couldn't help but smile to myself.

"Are you funny in the head or something?"

I looked back up at her, "Not at all."

"You sure seem like it," she let out a sigh. "I'm Astrid. Sorry for, you know, hitting your car."

_Astrid_. I don't think I had ever met a girl called Astrid before.

"Don't worry about it, Astrid," I said carefully, testing out her name with glee. It didn't sound quite as good as when she had said her name.

"Look, does this place sell aspirin? The freaking drug store's closed and I've got jet lag,"

"I'm not sure," I told her honestly, taking note of the fact that she'd been on an airplane not long ago. "There's another drug store in La Push... They would probably sell it?"

I watched as she flailed her arms up in the air in exasperation.

"Jeez, I've only just got back from there!"

She'd been to the reservation? I couldn't help but wonder if she'd met any members of the pack or any of my friends or family, and most of all I wanted to know what she'd been doing there. The logical part of my brain, who I liked to call Dr. Seth, was mentally laughing at me. Did imprinting really make you feel so stupidly overprotective over someone?

It was then that my cell gave off its shrill ring from back inside the Astra. I knew it was going to be my mom. I had to answer and tell her I wouldn't be long, or she'd go ape.

But I couldn't just walk away from Astrid.

"Aren't you going to get that?" She asked, still staring at me like I was the weirdest guy in the world.

Before I could answer she'd already slammed the door to the Bronco shut and was jogging into the store. I guess that was it then. Conversation over.

With a deep groan, I climbed back into my car and answered my cell.

"Where the hell are you?" Yep. It was Mom. "It's been over an hour - Leah will be home by six!"

"Something happened. Sorry. I won't be long."

I hung up before she could say anything else or ask what _something_ was.

For a moment I battled with myself inwardly. Part of me wanted to wait for Astrid to come back out so I could ask where she lived or what her number was, but then part of me wanted to get going so that she wouldn't think I was completely insane.

Sighing, I turned the ignition and drove carefully out of the parking lot. It was only then I noticed that it had stopped raining.

* * *

When I got home I went in through the back door, dropping the grocery bag on the kitchen counter without a word. I then turned on my heel and made my way to the forest that lined our overgrown backyard, ignoring my mother's questions as I broke out into a run.

The souvenir shop was on the other side of the reservation from my house, which meant a fifteen minute walk at a normal human pace.

Running, on the other hand? One minute and thirty-six seconds. Exactly.

As I reached the treeline that bordered First Beach I slowed my pace to an ordinary jog. I couldn't risk anybody seeing me running since I had faked my knee injury three years ago.

The door chimed as I made my way inside the little cinder block building. Tiffany Call, Embry's mom, looked up and smiled as she saw me in the doorway. It was only last year that Embry had finally told her about the tribe's secret.

"Hey, honey," she said. "How's it going?"

"Tiffany, did a girl come in here earlier today and buy one of the wolf bracelets? Blonde, small, more than a bit of an attitude?"

She laughed as she thought for about it for a moment. "Yeah - about two hours ago. What's she done?"

"Nothing, I just... I need to know who she is,"

Tiffany shot me a meaningful look. I didn't know how much she knew about imprinting but she seemed to be able to tell from my face that it was something important.

"You know Denny and Lisa Biers, the old couple up by Ozette Lake?" I nodded. Denny had been a distant friend of my father's. "I think she's their granddaughter. She mentioned something about staying with them for the summer."

"Thank you so much!" I grinned, leaning across the counter to give Embry's mom a tight hug.

"You're more than welcome, honey," Tiffany laughed. "What time can I expect my son home tonight anyway?"

Shit. I'd completely forgotten that the patrol schedule was messed up at the moment and it had been on my to-do list to re-write it for the next few weeks. The suddenness of imprinting had completely wiped my brain of my responsibilities. Embry had been on patrol since the early hours of this morning... I wondered if anyone had gone to replace his post yet.

"He won't be late, I promise," I told her sincerely.

"Good luck with that girl!" Tiffany called as I made my way back out of the store.

I walked back across the street, passed the makeshift gravel parking lot, and collapsed on the cold sand of the beach.

The ocean was rocky, as it had been for the last couple of days. There was a storm warning for Cape Flattery and it was supposed to be my job to warn Quileute fishing boats from going out for the time being - another responsibility.

When I woke up this morning I'd known that my life was full of worries and a long list of things to do but now, with just that one look from Astrid, everything was unbelievably more complicated. I really didn't know how Sam or Jake had managed the impact of imprinting while trying to still play Alpha.

_You need to find Embry first,_ I told myself. _Then find Astrid._

It was the hardest decision I could have asked myself to make but I stuck with it as I headed back to the forest.

Quickly shrugging off my jeans and t-shirt, I jumped into my wolf form. The satisfying crunch of my bones moving into the place they were made to be in never got old and I looked around me, listening out for my brothers.

_Seth, I've been out here all day,_ Embry's weary voice came through loud and clear. He was just south-west of Port Angeles, lazing around in a clearing not far from the freeway.

The images of his day flowed into my mind and then instantly stopped as he read my thoughts.

_Wait... You imprinted?!_

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**A/N: Well, there you have it! The second chapter! I know it's still kind of short but they will begin to get longer, I just didn't want to drag this one out too far and bore you guys to death with a filler just yet. I'd just like to say thank you so much to people who have reviewed, followed and favourited so far! It means so much to me it's unbelievable, oh, and yes - I have changed the title of the story after someone brought to my attention another Seth fic under the same name as this one. I felt bad, OK. But still, please review and stuff guys so I know what you think of this so far! **


	3. A Surprise of Sorts

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.**

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**3: A Surprise of Sorts**

I stirred awake as I heard someone coming out onto the porch of Astrid's grandparent's house.

Embry had helped me find their house yesterday afternoon and, after seeing my imprint through one of the upstairs windows, I decided to stay all night. Occasionally a few of my brothers phased and came to find me, telling me that there was pack business to attend to or that my mother was pissed at me for not coming back for Leah's meal.

I couldn't bring myself to leave her though - even if she had no idea that I was even there. In the end the pack had stopped trying to get my attention and left me to it.

I don't know what time I'd fallen asleep, only that I'd phased back into my human form sometime during the night.

Listening carefully, I wished Jared was here with me. He had the best hearing out of any of us wolves. But still, I managed to make out a female voice - Astrid's, I assured myself - from the back porch.

"Yeah, it's fine," I heard her tell someone who wasn't there. She was probably on the phone. "Not too rainy. No. Yeah, Nanna's fine. She says she misses you and Dad."

I stood up slowly, moving silently through the wooded area surrounding the lake-side house until I was close enough to see her through the thicket of evergreen trees. Astrid was wrapped in a pale blue dressing gown, looking east towards Ozette Lake. The Sun was relatively low in the sky so I gathered that it was still early morning.

"It's really not that bad. Not as bad as before, anyway. Yeah. OK. I love you too, Mom. Bye."

Astrid dropped her hand from her ear and put the cell phone into her pocket. Tucking a strand of wispy hair behind her ear, she turned towards the thicket where I was stood - naked, I might add - and for a second I thought she'd seen me. She was looking almost directly at me, but not quite. It was almost like she was looking for something in particular - I could tell from the hard, pensive look on her pretty face.

What the hell was she looking for?

Suddenly my stomach let out a loud growl and I swore under my breath, hoping she hadn't heard it.

But then Astrid turned and went back inside without a second glance.

Phasing quickly back into my wolf form, I was immediately aware that both Brady and a younger pup called Tyler were also present in my mind.

_Hey, you still by the lake?_ Brady asked.

He was on his way to me from the reservation, running through the forest like a cheetah. Typical Brady. He was the fastest in the pack now and made damn sure everyone knew about it. I couldn't fault him on it though, his speed was useful and he was probably my closest friend.

_Yeah, man. What time is it?_

_A little after seven A.M. They said you've been out here all night?_

Right. I'd forgotten that Brady had been at a concert in Seattle last night with his latest girlfriend, Melissa.

_I couldn't just leave her, could I? _I told him.

_I'll take over watch, if you want? Emily's making breakfast for everybody, seeing as the kids are with her parents for the weekend. You should go._

I considered this carefully for a moment before agreeing. I could trust Brady to watch her, just for a few hours anyway.

* * *

Tyler and I came back to Emily's together.

He'd been stressing out during the entire run, sharing with me his worries over whether he had good enough grades to graduate next week. I tried my best to comfort him and tell him to relax but I was too tired and too hungry and too caught up in Astrid to say much else.

"G'morning, my dearest cousin," Emily sang as I came into the kitchen. She was heavily pregnant again so I gave her a careful hug and then made my way to breakfast table where Tyler had already perched himself next to Quil. "I hear you have some news to celebrate!"

I turned and looked at her. "So you heard already?"

"Really? Half the reservation knows," Quil scoffed, a bemused grin on his face.

"Great," I muttered under my breath. It wasn't that I had wanted to keep the news that I had imprinted to myself - it's that I had wanted to keep my imprint to myself. It was hard enough for me leaving Brady with her for the morning.

"Well, come on then!" Emily continued. "What's her name?"

"Astrid," Tyler answered for me. I shot him a stern look and then turned to the food on the table.

"Where's everyone else?"

Quil let out a chuckle. "It's a surprise."

I stopped dishing out the bacon and sausages onto my plate and grimaced. "Please don't tell me the surprise is what I think it is."

Emily's face fell from across the room as she said, "We just thought it would be nice - it's the first imprint in almost six years..."

"The bonfire starts at two o'clock," Quil told me excitedly. "Be there or be square, bro."

"Shouldn't I be the one deciding when we have freaking council meetings?" I groaned. "Besides - the weather is meant to be terrible. It's raining already!"

Tyler said matter-of-factly through a mouth full of food, "It's not a meeting, it's a party."

"A party to celebrate you finally becoming a man!" Quil interjected.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Isn't that the same thing you said when you made Embry take me to strip club on my birthday?"

"No," he laughed. "At least I don't think so."

"Wait... You went to strip club?" Emily practically spat out of the coffee she'd be sipping on. "Does your mother know that?"

"I'm twenty-one, Emily, not eleven. Plus, it doesn't really matter anymore, does it?"

I finished piling food on to my plate and dug into my breakfast, trying hard to ignore my cousin and friends as they proceeded to tell me every single detail about the "surprise party" Sam was organizing for me down at Third Beach for this afternoon.

I knew they would end up forcing me to go, but the thought of not seeing Astrid until this evening made me hurt in a place I didn't know existed.

"We could always invite her along?" Emily said quietly, almost reading my thoughts.

"She doesn't even know who I am," I admitted, feeling pretty full and pretty defeated all at once. "I told her my name and she said she didn't give a shit."

Emily put a hand on my shoulder. "Yeah, it's tricky. It will get better though - I promise."

I could only hope she was right.

* * *

After taking a long nap on Emily and Sam's couch, I went home to shower and change. Funnily enough my mom and sister were out - probably roped in by Sam to help with the party preparations. Mom knew very well that I hated surprises, well, ever since the fiasco that was my thirteenth birthday anyway.

Sometimes I really hated my family - and hate was a strong word for me.

Throwing on some cut-off jeans and a red polo shirt, I checked myself and my hair in the bathroom mirror. It was strange. Usually I never gave too much thought about my appearance, but I wanted to look good in case I saw Astrid today. The person looking back at me looked somehow different today - like there was some new light in my eyes. Huh.

I eventually took a slow walk down to Third Beach.

It was only drizzling but the wind was beginning to blow like crazy. I wondered how long the "party" would last for with weather like ours.

"There's our boy!" Jared called as I came over a large peak of sand.

There was a large bonfire already going, picnic blankets surrounding it sporadically, and a makeshift gazebo about fifty yards away. The sight of Embry and Collin trying in vain to hold it down made me laugh out loud, and I suddenly felt a tiny bit better about being there.

Sam would've never organised something like this back in the old days. You could tell that since he'd become La Push's No.1 Dad that he'd definitely gotten a lot softer.

"How's it, man?" I called back, watching as Kim quickly joined Jared's side. She was studying at an art college in Tacoma, coming back every weekend to see him without fail. They were the second couple to catch the imprint bug and had probably had the smoothest relationship ever imaginable.

Kim smiled at me softly. "We're really happy for you, Seth."

"Yeah," Jared continued, his arm snaking around her curvy waist. "Congratulations for, you know, finding _her_."

I smiled back at them and made my way under the gazebo, where my mom was helping Emily lay out a platter of food large enough to feed an army.

"Hey," I said, "Sorry for not coming home... Well, you know why now."

"It's fine, kiddo. I'm glad for you - and so is your sister."

I looked around, "Where is Leah?"

Mom turned and stared out at the increasingly stormy ocean, "She and Sam went to talk about some stuff - wait, is that... Why is there a boat out there?"

Oh crap. I'd forgotten to relay the storm warning to the residents of the reservation.

"They look like they're coming in," Emily reported.

"I thought Billy had asked you to tell people about the storm?" Mom turned to me, anger evident in her big brown eyes.

"I got sidetracked..." I replied in a quiet voice, "I thought somebody else might have taken some initiative, considering I sort of imprinted yesterday."

Mom thought about this. "Well, they better come in fast for their own sakes."

"Well, it looks like my dad's fishing boat," Collin interjected thoughtfully. "It's probably my grandpa - he knows how to handle himself, so no worries, man."

"Yeah, well, sorry..." I heard myself mumble in response.

I looked around at my pack - my family - and tried to picture Astrid one day joining us for a party like this.

I wanted her to talk about stupid girly things with the other imprints, like Emily and Kim always did when they were together, and I wanted her to tell Paul he was a jerk because she knew him well enough to joke about and knew that he wouldn't take it to heart. I wanted her to laugh at Quil's stupid jokes and talk bullshit with my other brothers.

Most of all I just wanted her to be here with me, as a friend or a girlfriend or whatever. Just as long as she was mine in some way.

"This is looking pretty good," Brady stated with an amused smile on his face. I hadn't even noticed him arrive.

Which meant if he was here, Astrid had been left unprotected.

"Why the hell are you here?" I practically growled at him. "You're supposed to be at the lake house!"

"Jeez, Seth, calm the fuck down," he said, frowning.

"You've left Astrid by herself - you freaking promised me you'd keep an eye on her, man!"

Brady patted me on the shoulder as he walked past. "She went out with her grandpa so don't worry. They've gone fishing."

"And you didn't think to follow her or let me know?"

"Well," he considered. "I'm letting you know now, aren't I?"

I stared hard at him. He was meant to be my best friend and he'd let me down. "Fuck you, Brady."

"Language, boys!" My mom shouted at both of us.

"You're acting like I've sentenced her to death or something," Brady laughed.

Before I knew what I was doing I'd grabbed him by the scruff of his t-shirt, my fist raised to his cheek.

I wasn't a usually violent person. Only when forced to defend myself or protect the people I loved had I ever attacked anybody - usually only vampires, and in that case I had only ever destroyed one. But the idea of Astrid left vulnerable made me feel crazy.

"Go on then," he spat at me. "Hit me, bro. That's how imprinting works, right?"

Jared let out a deep sigh. "It's not him that wants to hit you, it's just that when the imprint is new..."

He didn't have time to finish. I punched him - and I punched him hard.

Jesus Christ. I'd just broken my best friend's nose.

Bright red blood dotted the sand beneath him as Brady blinked back at me in shock, despite the fact that his nose would be healed within the next ten minutes.

I stared back at him, equally as shocked. "Look, man... I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it," he sighed, trying to maintain control of his quivering body.

That was when my brothers and I heard the distant scream. My head snapped round to the direction of the boat just in time to see the ocean beneath rise and fall in a tidal wave. I could vaguely see the figures on board trying to keep steady on the rocking vessel.

I felt sick to my stomach.

There was suddenly another scream as one of the vague figures pivoted overboard as the sky opened with heavy rain.

It may or may not have been my imagination but I was sure I'd seen a flash of blonde hair disappear under the waves, and that was all it took.

Before I knew it I was running as fast as I could towards the ocean.

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**A/N: There you have it guys, the third chapter - I don't think I've ever actually been so motivated before with a story and gotten this far! I usually give up after the first few paragraphs so I'd just like to say thank you so much to all the feedback I've gotten for this so far! I kind of want to write the next chapter in Astrid's point of view but I'm not entirely sure... What do you guys think? Astrid or Seth's POV for chapter four? Please review and let me know! Oh, and I also wanted to let you know that I've linked some photos to the characters on my profile page so please go and have a look... :)**


	4. Extreme Fishing

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.**

******A/N: So yeah... This lovely chapter is in Astrid's POV! Please let me know whether you think it would be good continuing the story as a sort of mix between Seth and Astrid, or to just leave this as a lone insight. Anyway - please remember to read and review and all that jazz :D**

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**4: Extreme Fishing**

**(Astrid)**

"What's it like... Being back there?" Mom's voice sounded tired and uneven on the phone, and I knew she probably hadn't slept again.

Looking out over Ozette Lake, sunrise dancing on the surface of the endless water, I saw that at least the view from my grandparent's house was the same as it was seven years ago - even if nothing else in my life was. It was the first time I'd visited since my parents and I had moved to New Mexico when I was eleven-years-old.

And as much as I had been expecting it to feel heartbreaking being back here, it was just... _Weird_.

"It's really not that bad," I told her carefully. "Not as bad as before, anyway."

Despite the fact that I had wrapped myself up in my grandma's fluffy old dressing gown, I could still feel the chill coming off of the lake and reminded myself that this was what summer was like here in Clallam County. It was usually always cold and rainy and tanning lotion was never ever needed.

It was nothing like the stupidly hot, dry weather back in Albuquerque.

"OK... Well... Just make sure you're careful, yeah?" She asked with a deep sigh.

I bit down on my bottom lip as I said, "Yeah."

"Make sure you give your father a ring later on - he's worried about you," Mom paused for a moment. "I love you, Astrid."

The birdsong that had been emanating from the surrounding forest suddenly went quiet and I shuffled a little on the uneven decking of the porch. There was probably just a hiker close by or something. _Nothing to worry about,_ I told myself.

"OK. I love you too, Mom,"

"Try to have a good day, baby. Bye-bye."

"Bye," I answered, thankful that the conversation was over, and hung up. This was the seventh time she'd called me in three days.

I wondered how many more times she'd call before I came back to pack my stuff for college at the end of August.

Slipping my BlackBerry into the pocket of Nanna's dressing gown, I tried to compose myself a little bit. I was still jet-lagged as hell and feeling kind of homesick, but I knew I had to stick this out for the summer. It was a chance to come to terms with the disappearance of my big brother all those years ago and, just possibly, find out what really happened to him.

It was a long shot, sure. The police had come back empty from every lead, and as the months went by my parents had become more and more defeated. But I had never given up hope.

I knew it was unlikely that my brother was still alive - and I'd started to accept that. He'd been a family person, always choosing to spend weekends camping with my dad over going to parties with his friends from school. He would never have just taken off and left without even an explanation, and he sure as hell wouldn't have just left me. He'd been my best friend.

The problem was that I was good at solving mathematical equations - not police cases from almost a decade ago.

Turning towards the forest, I wondered if there was any chance he was still out there somewhere. Part of me desperately wished that maybe he would just come walking out of the trees and finally come back into our lives.

But I knew there was nothing there. Just a forest that seemed to go on forever and memories that would never change.

* * *

It was starting to rain again as my grandpa and I carried his sea-fishing equipment out to the Bronco. They'd agreed to let me borrow the old truck on days that my grandparents didn't need it to get about, which was absolutely fine by me.

I'd been careful not to tell them about accidentally driving it into a guy's car in town. Oh well, it was his fault for parking like an ass anyway.

For some reason the accident had kept playing in my mind over and over again all night. He was an ass but for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about the intense look that was on his face as I shouted at him, the way he was smiling like an idiot afterwards. Part of me couldn't help but wonder if he'd escaped from the mental ward of Forks Community Hospital.

"Did you get the bait?" Grandpa asked me as he carefully put the rods into the trunk.

I nodded and made my way round to the passenger seat.

Fishing wasn't my forte but Nanna had encouraged me to go along for the day, hoping it would get me to settle in a little more. I was more than happy to have some time away from the house though, even if it meant hanging out with my grandfather and his retired buddies from the nearby reservation of La Push.

I'd made a point of going there yesterday to ground myself a little. I love the ocean and being near it always helped me to relax.

"You must think us old coots are quite the daredevils when it comes to this," Grandpa laughed as he got in. "It's meant to be a bit stormy today but nothing we aren't used to."

I couldn't help but giggle and said, "Extreme fishing, yeah?"

"You could say that. If you feel seasick at all just let me know and we'll head back to shore, OK?"

"Of course," I replied and relaxed into the softy worn upholstery.

The drive took about half an hour and it was mainly filled with Grandpa's ceaseless chatter. It was pretty nice just listening to his far-fetched tales again - it was something I'd loved as a kid, sure he'd told me the same stories probably half a dozen times, but they never seemed to get old.

We pulled down a dirt road called River Drive and then we were at the Quileute Marina.

Two elderly Native American guys were waiting for us by the entrance and waved in greeting as we pulled up next to them.

"My, my, you can't be Denny's baby granddaughter!" The slightly taller one asked, his face creasing into a wrinkly smile. "You probably don't remember me, right?"

"Sorry, not at all," I replied sheepishly.

"Astrid, this is Duke Littlesea and Tim Wilde," Grandpa informed me with a grin.

I said hello to them both and Duke proceeded to tell me he'd meet my brother and I when we were kids, and that I used to play with his grandson at the crèche in Forks. It was safe to say I had no memory of my supposed childhood friend.

Tim, who seemed more quiet and mild-mannered than his friend, helped Grandpa and I get the equipment out while Duke went to get the small fishing boat ready.

Once everything was on board Duke started the motor and we were off.

I couldn't help but feel at peace with the water surrounding me completely, even if it was raining cats and dogs. Grandpa smiled at me from the stern as he started fixing his rod together, his glasses falling further down his nose as he bent forward.

"So how stormy is it meant to get?" I asked no-one in particular.

Tim looked up at me briefly with a pair of excited eyes and said, "Very."

"For the past couple of years we've been getting tsunami warnings," Duke shouted over to me. "Complete and utter bullshit, if you ask me. This water has always been fine."

"Well, you never know, Duke," Grandpa interjected thoughtfully.

"All that idiotic conversation work the government started doing around Cape Flattery was just a media gesture," Duke laughed bitterly. "A little too late for them to start showing they care about reservations now, eh?"

Tim shook his head in sad agreement and Grandpa let out a deep sigh, as if he had heard this speech a hundred times before.

"Let's just get on with this, OK?" Grandpa said quietly. He and Duke shared a look, and that was all it took. The conversation was forgotten and the three anglers began to set up their rods and lines once we were far enough out of the bay. Tim offered me one of his smaller fishing poles and I took it reluctantly with a small smile.

I hadn't fished since I was about eight-years-old, and even then I had been terrible at it. But I decided to give it a go.

"So your grandpa's been telling us you've turned into quite the math whiz?" Duke said at one point, when the rain had let up a little bit.

"Too right she has," Grandpa laughed, a hint of pride in his voice that made me smile. "My girl's off to Stanford in the fall."

Duke nodded his head in approval, "So we have a college girl on our hands? Well, damn! But let's see if she can catch us some fish."

I couldn't help but flush a little from all the attention so I turned my attention back to the line in my hands.

Morning flooded into afternoon quickly and by around two o'clock the ocean was getting very rocky.

The constant battering of the waves on the hull of Duke's boat was beginning to make me feel dizzy, if not even a little bit nauseous.

"I think I feel sick," I told my grandpa.

He looked up at me through his glasses and murmured something quietly to himself, then called over to Duke, "I think it's time we turn back, anyway. Astrid's feeling a bit sick and the storm seems to be coming in fast, don't you think?"

"Sure, sure - it will take a little longer with this damn tide though," Duke said.

I perched myself on what I was sure was the starboard side, holding onto the rusted metal railings so tight that my knuckles began to turn pale. I was really going to hurl if we didn't get going.

Duke packed his rod away and started to turn us back towards the marina, and that was when the motor cut out.

Suddenly the waves seemed to get ten times worse and I felt the boat being tugged in every direction the water seemed to take it. I held on tighter and closed my eyes, hoping it would make me feel a little less seasick. Nanna was going to kill Grandpa and his friends if I came back and told her I'd vomited.

The boat lurched to the right and I couldn't help but let out a scream.

"You alright, kid?" Tim shouted over to me but his voice came through muffled.

I tried to reply but I could barely hear myself over the sound of the harsh waves. Grandpa and Duke were busy trying to get the motor going again, and Tim was trying hard to quickly pack away all of their fishing equipment. But the boat kept lurching and I could barely hold on.

And that was when the sea rose around us and I found myself flung up in the air, the metal railing gone from my grip in an instance. I screamed again, not knowing what to do to stop myself from going overboard.

I was in the freezing water before I knew it.

Salt water filled my nose and mouth immediately, and I felt my body convulse into choking coughs, which only made it worse. I struggled to swim to what I thought was the surface but the waves and the tide kept dragging me back.

It was unimaginably cold and the murky water made it hard to see much of anything.

I was out of air, panicking like crazy and unable to find my way out of the thrashing water. Out of stupidity I tried to breathe and only ended up choking more.

_Oh dear Lord,_ I thought to myself. _I'm going to drown_.

Then everything started to go black and relief flooded through every inch of my body as I felt myself stop struggling.

It might have just been part of passing out or something, however I was sure in the last moment of my consciousness that I felt something strikingly warm touch my hand.

And then there was nothing at all.


	5. Made of Glass

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.**

* * *

**5: Made of Glass**

It was like a dream.

I could hear the waves all around me but I knew I was out of the water, pressed hard against some source of warmth.

My lungs felt heavy and every part of me was shivering, despite the fact that I didn't feel as entirely cold as before. It felt like I couldn't breathe properly - every breath was shallow and painful, kind of like I was hypoventilating - and I tried in vain not to panic. I was probably only dreaming, after all.

"You're safe now," a sudden, strangely familiar, voice said by my ear.

The voice was definitely male. Deep and soothing.

My eyelids fluttered open and I found a pair of dark brown eyes looking back at me. I couldn't keep mine open long enough to take in the rest of his face, though - I just didn't have the energy. And I felt myself begin to fall weightlessly back in to the darkness.

"I promise you, Astrid. You'll always be safe with me."

* * *

When I finally came to I fought the urge to choke before realizing I wasn't in the ocean anymore.

I wasn't drowning. I was OK. I was _alive_.

But there was this constant beeping coming from the right of me and I opened my eyes to find I was in a hospital room. There was an IV tube in my right arm and wires hooked up to my body, all leading to different machines and monitors. Through the open doorway I could hear my grandparents arguing... Well, it was mainly Nanna screaming at Grandpa Denny. Something about how irresponsible he and his friends had been, and how she was determined to get his fishing license revoked.

Hmm. Nanna never usually even raised her voice, let alone shouted.

"She's been at his throat all night," someone said from the corner of the room.

I jumped in surprise, causing the heart monitor to speed up instantly. The Native American guy from the parking lot was sitting in the faded blue armchair in the corner of the room, leaning forward and looking at me intently. I tried desperately to remember his name but my mind came up completely blank.

"W-w-what are you doing here?" I asked in a croaky voice.

He looked away for a second, an unreadable emotion on his face. "I pulled you out of the water and got you back to shore."

I frowned and tried to comprehend this. The rescuer in my dream was real... And it was _him_, of all people?

"You were completely passed out so we called an ambulence," he continued in a quiet voice. "The doctor said you have moderate hypothermia."

"H-h-how long have I been here?"

"About thirteen hours or so," the guy told me and I felt my eyes widen.

Holy shit. Thirteen freaking hours?!

There was a long period of silence as I just stared and stared at the IV line. I couldn't remember a time when I had been in the hospital for longer than an hour or so before.

"It was my job to send out the storm warning," he said suddenly. "I was stupid. I guess you could say it was my fault you almost _died..._"

That was when Grandpa walked in, cleaning his glasses on his plaid shirt as he said, "Don't beat yourself up, Seth. It was my fault and my fault alone."

Yes,_ Seth_. How could I not have remembered that?

Nanna followed close behind, her wrinkly arms folded over her chest. Her face lit up as she saw I was conscious and in a second she was by my side, smiling the kind of smile that only a grandmother could manage.

"How're you feeling?" She asked. I looked from her to Grandpa to Seth before I let out a deep sigh.

"I'm fine," I replied. "Just tired, I guess."

"Well, that's good. Doctor Nicholls said you'd feel pretty worn out when you came to,"

Grandpa added quietly, "I'm so sorry, Astrid. Duke and Tim feel terrible, too. I just can't... After what happened with your brother..."

He trailed off as I felt my face drop.

In that moment I couldn't bare to look at anybody in the room.

"Well," Nanna tried to continue to relieve the tension. "How can we ever repay you, Seth?"

"There's nothing to repay me for..."

She cut him off almost instantly. "Nonsense! You saved our baby granddaughter!"

"How about dinner at ours?" Grandpa offered up thoughtfully.

"Why, yes! That'd be marvelous," Nanna smiled and looked over to me. "Don't you think so, Astrid?"

My head snapped up and I met Seth's nervous gaze as he waited for my opinion. They were all waiting for a response and I couldn't help but groan inwardly.

Part of me still believed that there was something weird about the guy, but I couldn't fight the fact that he'd saved my life. Hell, the boat had to have been a mile out from shore at least and he'd managed to get all the way out there to pull me from the water. There was definitely no ignoring that - no matter how strange the perpetually intense look he had on his face was when he stared at me.

And he seemed to stare a hell of a lot.

"S-s-sure," I grumbled eventually.

* * *

By midday the doctors had finished observing my recovery and I was finally discharged from the ICU.

Grandpa brought the Bronco round to the entrance of the hospital and Seth wheeled me out to the car. (Yes, I was in a freaking wheelchair.) Nanna kept chattering to Seth the whole time, asking him what type of food he liked and if he had any allergies and what day was best for him to come to dinner.

Apparently he wasn't a big fan of vegetables. Typical guy.

"I'm pretty busy, but I'm sure I could make myself free tomorrow night," he told her sheepishly.

"Well, only if you're sure you can fit us into your schedule..." Nanna laughed. "And as long as Astrid's up to it then tomorrow night should be absolutely fine!"

"Yes, of course," Seth replied seriously then offered his arm out to me as I started to get up.

I reluctantly took it and pulled myself up slowly. Instantly I was taken aback by the heat radiating off of his bare skin of his forearm and I almost stumbled, but Seth's reflexes were impossibly quick and he caught me. I shot him a small smile and eased myself into the backseat of my grandparent's car.

_Who the hell has skin that warm?_ I couldn't help wondering to myself.

"Did you need a ride home?" Grandpa asked as he shut my door.

Seth considered this for a moment and said, "No, but thank you anyway. You need to get Astrid home."

Nanna said something that I couldn't quite hear and then gave Seth a tight hug. I watched as Seth retreated back into the doorway hospital entrance and got out his cell from the pocket of his worn jeans. I hadn't really noticed before how tall he was and I was a little bit astounded as he towered over a passing nurse. He must've been at least six and a half foot, with muscle covering almost every inch of his being.

I felt my cheeks flush as we drove away, and I tried my best not to think about him or how attractive he actually was.

"You're getting some colour back," Nanna stated, beaming at me in the rear-view mirror.

"I guess so," I mumbled, frowning down at the zipper of my grey hoodie.

"That boy is _so_ nice," she continued. "The spitting image of his father, too."

Grandpa grunted in agreement.

They continued to tell me that my parents had been on the phone with them several times throughout the night and morning, and that if I wanted to I could get on the first flight back to Albuquerque.

"Your mom's pretty worried," Nanna sighed. "She seems to think you're made of glass - and that it was a mistake to let you come back for the summer."

I felt my heart sink. I couldn't go back home yet - I'd barely been here a week and I hadn't found out anything about my brother. The entire point of coming back to Forks was to get to the bottom of his disappearance, and I couldn't allow myself to return home without even an inkling of what happened.

But there was something else, too.

As stupid and childish as it sounded, the idea of not getting to know Seth better made me feel kind of sad in a way I couldn't quite understand.

"I'm fine," I heard myself say before I'd really thought it through. "Just tell her I'm fine and that we have a dinner guest tomorrow, anyway."

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter has taken so long to post - I had to rewrite several times and I know it's quite short, but I'm not a fan of fillers and I really just want to get my storyline going properly at the moment. So there you go! I would just like to say a big thank you again to all of the lovely people that have reviewed, followed and favourited this story so far, and I can see that some of you have already worked out the twist that will become apparent in the next chapter ;) But still, please let me know what you think of this update and feel free to leave any questions about my story in your reviews, I promise I will get back to you!**


	6. Absolution

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.**

* * *

**7: Moving Forward**

"Where is the freaking logic to imprinting?" I asked no-one in particular as I slumped on Emily's couch, feeling completely defeated.

Most of the pack were here - aside from Embry, Jared and Michael, who were still on patrol - for a meeting I was supposed to lead. Sam, out of years of habit, was taking charge and for once I couldn't be bothered to argue the fact that I was the Alpha now with him.

"Well," Paul began nonchalantly, "I guess it's all about fate finding you a perfectly fertile woman to carry on the wolf gene."

This quickly earned him a slap upside the head from Rachel, who was in town for the fortnight to help sort out her dad's tax forms and disability benefits. After finishing college she had got a job as an accountant in Seattle and now she tried to help out everyone on the reservation as best as she could - which meant handling pretty much everyone's money.

If the slap had been from anybody else in the entire world Paul would've snapped already and probably had to make a run for the back door so that he could phase, but Rachel was different. She was, in his words, "the perfectly fertile woman to carry on _his_ wolf gene." So instead he simply smirked and pulled her onto his lap.

"So you're saying Seth should just have sex with her and never mention the fact that he killed her brother?" Collin scoffed, his words making me wince.

It had been three long days since I'd found out that Astrid was Riley's sister, and I still felt like I was going to projectile vomit at any second.

"Don't be ridiculous," Rachel replied, tucking a strand of her peroxide blonde hair behind her ear. "Seth needs to think about this seriously and we all need to be supportive."

I remember then why I had always liked Rachel Black - she used to babysit me when I was a little kid and, unlike her shape-shifter boyfriend, understood the sensitivity of the situation. Probably because she was a girl and Paul was kind of emotionally retarded in comparison.

"There a three nomads," Sam finally started, calling the meeting to attention. "So far we know that they've killed one human and this makes them a danger to the tribe, meaning that it is your duty to move them out of the area..."

"Or destroy their pale backsides," Quil finished for him with a chuckle, earning a quick scowl from Emily.

"Yes," Sam sighed. "Or_ destroy_ them, I suppose."

"Shouldn't we talk to Jake about this, too?" Kim interjected from the corner of the room, where she was braiding Claire's hair. "I mean, the Cullen's might know these vampires?"

Paul snorted. "Yeah, like they'll be able to do shit from Prince George!"

"Kim's right, Paul. If they have any information it may be helpful," Sam shot back.

"We can handle this without help from those leeches," Paul retorted as he visibly began to tremble. Rachel rested a gentle hand on his cheek and whispered something to him that I chose not to listen to. Whatever it was seemed to calm him down a little.

"So what happens if they make it onto the reservation?" The youngest of the pups, Deano, asked in a hesitant voice.

The answer didn't need to be said out loud and in that moment I couldn't help but let out a deep sigh, causing the populace of the room to look my way. I looked up and met Emily's pitying gaze, and all of sudden I felt something snap inside of me.

What the hell was I playing at? This was _my_ pack and it was _my_ job to protect the tribe - not Sam's for Christ's sakes.

I stood up before I even knew what I was really doing and said, "We know they're still in the area so for now we'll keep a watch out and see what they do. I'll speak to Charlie later on and let him know what's going on. Maybe he can get Jake and Edward to come down to give us a hand."

Sam looked pained as I continued, like he _really_ wanted to argue with me, "For now you'll follow the patrol schedule and report everything you see back to _me_, OK?"

I didn't wait for them to agree or disagree, and I grabbed my jacket as I headed out onto the front porch.

It was raining hard enough to drown out the voices from back inside the house. I knew that everyone was doubting me right now - heck, I was even doubting myself - but I was still their leader and they had to know I wasn't completely incapable of maintaining control. Even if I felt desperately incapable of moving forward with Astrid at the moment.

I heard the door open behind me with a creak but I didn't turn around until I felt someone tug softly on the bottom of shirt.

Claire looked up at me with her big brown eyes, her round cheeks flushed and eyebrows furrowed as she shuffled from foot to foot.

She said quietly, "These aren't vampires like Nessie, are they?"

Nessie and Claire had played together a lot over the years when the Olympic Coven had still lived in the area, even going to the movies a few times with their imprints. It was sometimes hard to process the fact that Renesmee was now physically about six years older than her. Billy Black had originally encouraged the friendship - as he believed it was important for Nessie to have a friend who was the same age and could be trusted with our secrets.

"No, they're not," I told her carefully. "Please don't worry though, Claire."

"I'm not worried about the vampires," she replied with a sad smile. "I'm worried about you, Uncle Seth."

I knelt down to meet her at eye level, as she was still kind of short for her age, and said, "As I said before, please don't worry. I'm fine."

Claire looked at me hard as she considered this and then wrapped her chubby arms around me, "If you're lying to me then I'll make Quil chew your legs off."

I laughed despite myself and let her go, making my way down the porch steps and towards the misty street. I dropped Charlie a quick text to let him know I was coming over to the police department and I set off in the direction of my house, hoping Leah hadn't borrowed the Astra.

* * *

**(Astrid)**

I peered through the windscreen of the Bronco, trying to make out whereabouts in town I was through the harsh downpour. It was almost June and the weather was as terrible as always - making me undeniably a little nostalgic for the dry heat back in Albuquerque.

But I was here for a reason and, now I'd gotten over the distraction that was Seth Clearwater, I could continue with my plans.

After he hadn't called for three days I had decided that it was best to forget it sooner rather than later. I wasn't exactly great with boys or handling relationships, and I was pretty sure I had scared him off by trying to hold his hand the other day. In hindsight, I'd probably completely misread his intentions and crazily thought that he actually liked me like that, when in reality he was just some guy who'd saved my skinny ass from drowning.

In the back of my mind I had known he wouldn't call - so it was OK, I guess. Sure, I felt a little wounded and embarrassed but any other eighteen-year-old girl would have.

Pulling into the parking lot of Forks City Hall, I wished not for the first time in life that people were as easy to work out as algebraic equations.

_You can do this, Astrid,_ I told myself calmly as I parked up and got out of the truck, my old school backpack swinging from my shoulder. I quickly made my way inside and asked the white-haired woman at the reception for directions to the police department.

"Go down that corridor," she said, gesturing to the right, "Take the second door to the left of you and then take the stairs up to the first floor. Cheif Swan's office is there. It's hard to miss."

I made my way down the dimly lit corridor and took the second door on the left, trying not to think about what my parents would say if I they ever found out what I was about to do.

"Come in," a deep voice called a moment after I had knocked on the first door that was at the top of the stairs. I made my way inside, taking in the the dozen filing cabinets and the extensive gun rack on the eastern wall of the office. A man of about fifty with curling brown hair was sat at a desk, his focus was on the computer screen in front of him but he looked up as I shut the door behind me.

"How can I help you, miss?" He asked, looking me up and down.

"My name's Astrid Biers," I began carefully. "Eight years ago my brother, Riley, went missing from this town and I know you were in charge of the investigation."

Chief Swan leaned forward, watching me intently now.

I continued, "My family and I... We moved away but I came back this summer for, you know, _closure_."

"That seems like a clever thing to do," he replied. "But I'm afraid I might not be of much help, Miss Biers. There were no leads to the disappearance of your brother and all the evidence we keep here is destroyed after four years or sent to storage in Seattle. I don't think you'll find what you're looking for."

I tried not to look too deflated as I said, "It's just... My parents believe he's dead. Everyone does. But you... You never did, did you?"

"Miss Biers, I stayed up for nights on end for about two years straight when Riley disappeared. I wanted to get him home to you and your parents, I really did, and _at the time_ I believed there was a strong chance he was still alive. Runaway cases are very common in Washington - too common, really," he told me slowly.

But Riley wouldn't have run away from home, I knew that for a fact. There had to be more too it, whether the Forks Police Department knew it or not.

"I knew my brother very well, sir. He wasn't a runaway,"

"Then," Chief Swan sighed. "I don't mean to be frank with you but if that is the case then it's very likely he's no longer alive."

I ran my hand through my hair and tried to stay composed. I didn't want to think about that just yet.

"May I see his file at least?" I asked in a quiet voice after a little while. "It would help. Please."

The police chief looked at me long and hard, and then his eyes softened. He got to his feet, muttering something under his breath as he made his way towards one of the large metal cabinets.

"Do not tell anyone I'm doing this for you," he grumbled. "This is highly illegal, miss. And it's only yours for one hour - you keep it any longer I have the right to arrest you. Got it?"

I grinned at him and took the paperwork from him, "Thank you so much."

"There's an interrogation room next door - it's empty, so you can use that if you like,"

I nodded and took the file with me.

Once I'd sat down, I pulled Grandpa's old tape recorder out of my backpack and clicked the red _RECORD_ button as I began to read outloud.

_Case background: __(Last updated: December 2005)_

_Riley Biers, born October 8, 1986, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Student at University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon._

_Biers family moved back to Forks, Washington, in 1987. Riley's father, Jeremy Biers, is local, born in Forks in 1961 (RE: Washington State Census, 1965). Employed as a procurement consultant in Sequim. Mother, Karen Biers, born in Roseville, California, in 1964 (RE: Sacramento Township birth records, 1964). Employed as a receptionist in Forks. Other child - female, born in Forks in 1994 - is a student at Forks Elementary School._

_RB first reported missing April 17, 2005. Last seen in Seattle by friends as he left the Hooverville Bar. Friends later apprehended for consumption of alcohol with falsified identifaction and held in custody for questioning on RB's disapperance. RE: Named: Brandon Westbrook (address: 11059 24th Place Southwest, White Center, Washington), Holly Jameson (address: 2015 South Garfield Street, Kennewick, Washington) and Patricia Bell (address: 604 6th Street, Elko, Nevada). RB approximately left at 21:55, claiming he needed to get home. JB said to have gone out looking for RB on the evening of April 16 as his cell phone was switched off. KB called the police department on the morning of April 17 after RB had not returned home for two days. _

_On April 19, 2005, blood samples were collected from Alaskan Way South, Seattle, following the reported disappearances of three other Washington citizens..._

I stopped reading and paused the tape recorder. I knew pretty much all of the information on the rest of the page - but I hadn't known that Riley's college roommate Brandon lived in Seattle. Elko and Kennewick were too far to travel to, however if I could get Brandon to agree to meet me then maybe he'd be able to tell me exactly what happened that night and if Riley had mentioned anything out of the ordinary to him.

Maybe there were things Brandon hadn't told the police.

I flicked through the pages until I found Riley's friends' interviews and the reports made underneath.

_Brandon Westbrook, born June 19, 1985, in Seattle, Washington. Student at University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon._

___Address: 11059 24th Place Southwest, White Center, Washington._

___Home contact number: 206-264-2428_

Before I could stop myself I had dialled the number into my phone and pressed the call button. I knew it was a long shot; this Brandon guy might not even live at the same address, meaning his number would've changed, but it was still worth a try.

"Hello?" A sleepy male voice said on the other end and I felt my heartbeat pick up.

"Is this Brandon Westbrook?" I asked hesitantly.

There was an audible pause on the line. "Yes... May I ask who's calling?"

"My name's Astrid Biers," I told him. "You knew my older brother, Riley, didn't you?"

I glanced at the door, hoping that Chief Swan couldn't hear me as I waited for him to reply.

"Yeah, I did. How did you get my parents' number?"

"From a phone book," I lied quickly. "Look, I just wanted to ask you a few things about my brother. Is it possible to meet you?"

"Sure," he replied after another long pause, this time his voice a little softer. "That's fine. Is tonight OK?"

I tried not to sound too excited, "Yeah. That's great. Where and when?"

"Umm... There's a place called the RidgeBack Cafe on Northwest Sixty-Fifth Street. I'll meet you there at eight."

Brandon hung up before I could say anything else and I sat back in the hard plastic chair, rather pleased that I had finally moved forward with my own personal investigation. I gathered up the papers and slid them back into the plastic file, and put the tape recorder carefully away.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door to Chief Swan's office again - and was surprised when a very familiar person opened the door.

Seth looked down at me in surprise and then back over to the chief of police, who was typing away at the desktop computer. His hair was wet - as though he'd just come in from the rain - and I couldn't help but notice how tight his shirt was, making his muscular body very hard not to notice.

I was sure I was blushing so I looked away, remembering that I was meant to be annoyed at him.

"What are you doing here, Astrid?" Seth asked, causing Chief Swan to look over to us.

"I was just..." Oh, sweet Jesus. What was I supposed to freaking say without getting the police department in trouble?

Thankfully Chief Swan quickly answered for me, "Miss Biers was just handing in an application, weren't you? For the Cadets' summer course."

Seth seemed to consider this for a moment. "That's good then. You haven't had many applications so far, Charlie."

"Not really, no," Chief Swan - Charlie - laughed as he took the file from me. "I'm sure she'll be a great addition to the Cadet team."

"Yeah, I'm sure she will," Seth smiled to himself. "By the way, Mom says she's cooking for half six."

"Wonderful," Charlie murmured. "The way that woman cooks fish is like tasting heaven."

I frowned at them, trying to work out the connection. Was Chief Swan friends with Seth's mom? Or were they dating or something? Or maybe somehow related?

Looking down at my watch, I saw that it was four o'clock and swore under my breath. If I didn't get moving soon then I'd be late meeting Brandon.

"Thanks for everything," I said and made my way out of the office, rushing down the stairs as fast as I could without tripping.

I managed to find my way out of City Hall quite quickly, considering it wasn't really a big building. Before I started out into the parking lot, I paused to pull the hood of my jacket up as it was raining even harder - if that was even possible - than it had been an hour ago.

"Wait a second," a voice came from behind me and I turned on my heel to find Seth hurrying out of the building behind me.

"I'm sort of in a hurry right now, Seth," I told him.

"I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to get something to eat with me tonight," he breathed. "Like a date or something?"

My heart tugged in my chest and I felt the urge to scream. Why hadn't he called to ask yesterday? I had more important things to do right now than go out on a date with Seth so why did I want to say yes so badly? I couldn't - I had to stay focused. I had to meet Brandon.

"I can't," I finally replied and I watched as his face fell. "I've got to meet someone tonight."

"Oh," Seth mumbled. "That's fine. I'll catch you another time, yeah?"

Why was it that he was capable of pulling the most believable puppy dog face?

"Yeah, of course," I sighed and made my way over to the Bronco.

Getting into the passenger seat, I was instantly glad to be out of the rain and away from the temptation that was Seth. I put the car into the reverse and made my way out of the parking lot and towards East Divison Street, but not before I looked back in the rear-view to see Seth still standing in the exact same spot by the entrance.

He was just watching me as I went, hands in the pockets of his cut-off jeans, the rain not seeming to matter at all to him.


	7. Moving Forward

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.**

* * *

**7: Moving Forward**

"Where is the freaking logic to imprinting?" I asked no-one in particular as I slumped on Emily's couch, feeling completely defeated.

Most of the pack were here - aside from Embry, Jared and Michael, who were still on patrol - for a meeting I was supposed to lead. Sam, out of years of habit, was taking charge and for once I couldn't be bothered to argue the fact that I was the Alpha now with him.

"Well," Paul began nonchalantly, "I guess it's all about fate finding you a perfectly fertile woman to carry on the wolf gene."

This quickly earned him a slap upside the head from Rachel, who was in town for the fortnight to help sort out her dad's tax forms and disability benefits. After finishing college she had got a job as an accountant in Seattle and now she tried to help out everyone on the reservation as best as she could - which meant handling pretty much everyone's money.

If the slap had been from anybody else in the entire world Paul would've snapped already and probably had to make a run for the back door so that he could phase, but Rachel was different. She was, in his words, "the perfectly fertile woman to carry on _his_ wolf gene." So instead he simply smirked and pulled her onto his lap.

"So you're saying Seth should just have sex with her and never mention the fact that he killed her brother?" Collin scoffed, his words making me wince.

It had been three long days since I'd found out that Astrid was Riley's sister, and I still felt like I was going to projectile vomit at any second.

"Don't be ridiculous," Rachel replied, tucking a strand of her peroxide blonde hair behind her ear. "Seth needs to think about this seriously and we all need to be supportive."

I remember then why I had always liked Rachel Black - she used to babysit me when I was a little kid and, unlike her shape-shifter boyfriend, understood the sensitivity of the situation. Probably because she was a girl and Paul was kind of emotionally retarded in comparison.

"There a three nomads," Sam finally started, calling the meeting to attention. "So far we know that they've killed one human and this makes them a danger to the tribe, meaning that it is your duty to move them out of the area..."

"Or destroy their pale backsides," Quil finished for him with a chuckle, earning a quick scowl from Emily.

"Yes," Sam sighed. "Or_ destroy_ them, I suppose."

"Shouldn't we talk to Jake about this, too?" Kim interjected from the corner of the room, where she was braiding Claire's hair. "I mean, the Cullen's might know these vampires?"

Paul snorted. "Yeah, like they'll be able to do shit from Prince George!"

"Kim's right, Paul. If they have any information it may be helpful," Sam shot back.

"We can handle this without help from those leeches," Paul retorted as he visibly began to tremble. Rachel rested a gentle hand on his cheek and whispered something to him that I chose not to listen to. Whatever it was seemed to calm him down a little.

"So what happens if they make it onto the reservation?" The youngest of the pups, Deano, asked in a hesitant voice.

The answer didn't need to be said out loud and in that moment I couldn't help but let out a deep sigh, causing the populace of the room to look my way. I looked up and met Emily's pitying gaze, and all of sudden I felt something snap inside of me.

What the hell was I playing at? This was _my_ pack and it was _my_ job to protect the tribe - not Sam's for Christ's sakes.

I stood up before I even knew what I was really doing and said, "We know they're still in the area so for now we'll keep a watch out and see what they do. I'll speak to Charlie later on and let him know what's going on. Maybe he can get Jake and Edward to come down to give us a hand."

Sam looked pained as I continued, like he _really_ wanted to argue with me, "For now you'll follow the patrol schedule and report everything you see back to _me_, OK?"

I didn't wait for them to agree or disagree, and I grabbed my jacket as I headed out onto the front porch.

It was raining hard enough to drown out the voices from back inside the house. I knew that everyone was doubting me right now - heck, I was even doubting myself - but I was still their leader and they had to know I wasn't completely incapable of maintaining control. Even if I felt desperately incapable of moving forward with Astrid at the moment.

I heard the door open behind me with a creak but I didn't turn around until I felt someone tug softly on the bottom of shirt.

Claire looked up at me with her big brown eyes, her round cheeks flushed and eyebrows furrowed as she shuffled from foot to foot.

She said quietly, "These aren't vampires like Nessie, are they?"

Nessie and Claire had played together a lot over the years when the Olympic Coven had still lived in the area, even going to the movies a few times with their imprints. It was sometimes hard to process the fact that Renesmee was now physically about six years older than her. Billy Black had originally encouraged the friendship - as he believed it was important for Nessie to have a friend who was the same age and could be trusted with our secrets.

"No, they're not," I told her carefully. "Please don't worry though, Claire."

"I'm not worried about the vampires," she replied with a sad smile. "I'm worried about you, Uncle Seth."

I knelt down to meet her at eye level, as she was still kind of short for her age, and said, "As I said before, please don't worry. I'm fine."

Claire looked at me hard as she considered this and then wrapped her chubby arms around me, "If you're lying to me then I'll make Quil chew your legs off."

I laughed despite myself and let her go, making my way down the porch steps and towards the misty street. I dropped Charlie a quick text to let him know I was coming over to the police department and I set off in the direction of my house, hoping Leah hadn't borrowed the Astra.

* * *

**(Astrid)**

I peered through the windscreen of the Bronco, trying to make out whereabouts in town I was through the harsh downpour. It was almost June and the weather was as terrible as always - making me undeniably a little nostalgic for the dry heat back in Albuquerque.

But I was here for a reason and, now I'd gotten over the distraction that was Seth Clearwater, I could continue with my plans.

After he hadn't called for three days I had decided that it was best to forget it sooner rather than later. I wasn't exactly great with boys or handling relationships, and I was pretty sure I had scared him off by trying to hold his hand the other day. In hindsight, I'd probably completely misread his intentions and crazily thought that he actually liked me like that, when in reality he was just some guy who'd saved my skinny ass from drowning.

In the back of my mind I had known he wouldn't call - so it was OK, I guess. Sure, I felt a little wounded and embarrassed but any other eighteen-year-old girl would have.

Pulling into the parking lot of Forks City Hall, I wished not for the first time in life that people were as easy to work out as algebraic equations.

_You can do this, Astrid,_ I told myself calmly as I parked up and got out of the truck, my old school backpack swinging from my shoulder. I quickly made my way inside and asked the white-haired woman at the reception for directions to the police department.

"Go down that corridor," she said, gesturing to the right, "Take the second door to the left of you and then take the stairs up to the first floor. Cheif Swan's office is there. It's hard to miss."

I made my way down the dimly lit corridor and took the second door on the left, trying not to think about what my parents would say if I they ever found out what I was about to do.

"Come in," a deep voice called a moment after I had knocked on the first door that was at the top of the stairs. I made my way inside, taking in the the dozen filing cabinets and the extensive gun rack on the eastern wall of the office. A man of about fifty with curling brown hair was sat at a desk, his focus was on the computer screen in front of him but he looked up as I shut the door behind me.

"How can I help you, miss?" He asked, looking me up and down.

"My name's Astrid Biers," I began carefully. "Eight years ago my brother, Riley, went missing from this town and I know you were in charge of the investigation."

Chief Swan leaned forward, watching me intently now.

I continued, "My family and I... We moved away but I came back this summer for, you know, _closure_."

"That seems like a clever thing to do," he replied. "But I'm afraid I might not be of much help, Miss Biers. There were no leads to the disappearance of your brother and all the evidence we keep here is destroyed after four years or sent to storage in Seattle. I don't think you'll find what you're looking for."

I tried not to look too deflated as I said, "It's just... My parents believe he's dead. Everyone does. But you... You never did, did you?"

"Miss Biers, I stayed up for nights on end for about two years straight when Riley disappeared. I wanted to get him home to you and your parents, I really did, and _at the time_ I believed there was a strong chance he was still alive. Runaway cases are very common in Washington - too common, really," he told me slowly.

But Riley wouldn't have run away from home, I knew that for a fact. There had to be more too it, whether the Forks Police Department knew it or not.

"I knew my brother very well, sir. He wasn't a runaway,"

"Then," Chief Swan sighed. "I don't mean to be frank with you but if that is the case then it's very likely he's no longer alive."

I ran my hand through my hair and tried to stay composed. I didn't want to think about that just yet.

"May I see his file at least?" I asked in a quiet voice after a little while. "It would help. Please."

The police chief looked at me long and hard, and then his eyes softened. He got to his feet, muttering something under his breath as he made his way towards one of the large metal cabinets.

"Do not tell anyone I'm doing this for you," he grumbled. "This is highly illegal, miss. And it's only yours for one hour - you keep it any longer I have the right to arrest you. Got it?"

I grinned at him and took the paperwork from him, "Thank you so much."

"There's an interrogation room next door - it's empty, so you can use that if you like,"

I nodded and took the file with me.

Once I'd sat down, I pulled Grandpa's old tape recorder out of my backpack and clicked the red _RECORD_ button as I began to read outloud.

_Case background: __(Last updated: December 2005)_

_Riley Biers, born October 8, 1986, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Student at University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon._

_Biers family moved back to Forks, Washington, in 1987. Riley's father, Jeremy Biers, is local, born in Forks in 1961 (RE: Washington State Census, 1965). Employed as a procurement consultant in Sequim. Mother, Karen Biers, born in Roseville, California, in 1964 (RE: Sacramento Township birth records, 1964). Employed as a receptionist in Forks. Other child - female, born in Forks in 1994 - is a student at Forks Elementary School._

_RB first reported missing April 17, 2005. Last seen in Seattle by friends as he left the Hooverville Bar. Friends later apprehended for consumption of alcohol with falsified identifaction and held in custody for questioning on RB's disapperance. RE: Named: Brandon Westbrook (address: 11059 24th Place Southwest, White Center, Washington), Holly Jameson (address: 2015 South Garfield Street, Kennewick, Washington) and Patricia Bell (address: 604 6th Street, Elko, Nevada). RB approximately left at 21:55, claiming he needed to get home. JB said to have gone out looking for RB on the evening of April 16 as his cell phone was switched off. KB called the police department on the morning of April 17 after RB had not returned home for two days. _

_On April 19, 2005, blood samples were collected from Alaskan Way South, Seattle, following the reported disappearances of three other Washington citizens..._

I stopped reading and paused the tape recorder. I knew pretty much all of the information on the rest of the page - but I hadn't known that Riley's college roommate Brandon lived in Seattle. Elko and Kennewick were too far to travel to, however if I could get Brandon to agree to meet me then maybe he'd be able to tell me exactly what happened that night and if Riley had mentioned anything out of the ordinary to him.

Maybe there were things Brandon hadn't told the police.

I flicked through the pages until I found Riley's friends' interviews and the reports made underneath.

_Brandon Westbrook, born June 19, 1985, in Seattle, Washington. Student at University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon._

___Address: 11059 24th Place Southwest, White Center, Washington._

___Home contact number: 206-264-2428_

Before I could stop myself I had dialled the number into my phone and pressed the call button. I knew it was a long shot; this Brandon guy might not even live at the same address, meaning his number would've changed, but it was still worth a try.

"Hello?" A sleepy male voice said on the other end and I felt my heartbeat pick up.

"Is this Brandon Westbrook?" I asked hesitantly.

There was an audible pause on the line. "Yes... May I ask who's calling?"

"My name's Astrid Biers," I told him. "You knew my older brother, Riley, didn't you?"

I glanced at the door, hoping that Chief Swan couldn't hear me as I waited for him to reply.

"Yeah, I did. How did you get my parents' number?"

"From a phone book," I lied quickly. "Look, I just wanted to ask you a few things about my brother. Is it possible to meet you?"

"Sure," he replied after another long pause, this time his voice a little softer. "That's fine. Is tonight OK?"

I tried not to sound too excited, "Yeah. That's great. Where and when?"

"Umm... There's a place called the RidgeBack Cafe on Northwest Sixty-Fifth Street. I'll meet you there at eight."

Brandon hung up before I could say anything else and I sat back in the hard plastic chair, rather pleased that I had finally moved forward with my own personal investigation. I gathered up the papers and slid them back into the plastic file, and put the tape recorder carefully away.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door to Chief Swan's office again - and was surprised when a very familiar person opened the door.

Seth looked down at me in surprise and then back over to the chief of police, who was typing away at the desktop computer. His hair was wet - as though he'd just come in from the rain - and I couldn't help but notice how tight his shirt was, making his muscular body very hard not to notice.

I was sure I was blushing so I looked away, remembering that I was meant to be annoyed at him.

"What are you doing here, Astrid?" Seth asked, causing Chief Swan to look over to us.

"I was just..." Oh, sweet Jesus. What was I supposed to freaking say without getting the police department in trouble?

Thankfully Chief Swan quickly answered for me, "Miss Biers was just handing in an application, weren't you? For the Cadets' summer course."

Seth seemed to consider this for a moment. "That's good then. You haven't had many applications so far, Charlie."

"Not really, no," Chief Swan - Charlie - laughed as he took the file from me. "I'm sure she'll be a great addition to the Cadet team."

"Yeah, I'm sure she will," Seth smiled to himself. "By the way, Mom says she's cooking for half six."

"Wonderful," Charlie murmured. "The way that woman cooks fish is like tasting heaven."

I frowned at them, trying to work out the connection. Was Chief Swan friends with Seth's mom? Or were they dating or something? Or maybe somehow related?

Looking down at my watch, I saw that it was four o'clock and swore under my breath. If I didn't get moving soon then I'd be late meeting Brandon.

"Thanks for everything," I said and made my way out of the office, rushing down the stairs as fast as I could without tripping.

I managed to find my way out of City Hall quite quickly, considering it wasn't really a big building. Before I started out into the parking lot, I paused to pull the hood of my jacket up as it was raining even harder - if that was even possible - than it had been an hour ago.

"Wait a second," a voice came from behind me and I turned on my heel to find Seth hurrying out of the building behind me.

"I'm sort of in a hurry right now, Seth," I told him.

"I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to get something to eat with me tonight," he breathed. "Like a date or something?"

My heart tugged in my chest and I felt the urge to scream. Why hadn't he called to ask yesterday? I had more important things to do right now than go out on a date with Seth so why did I want to say yes so badly? I couldn't - I had to stay focused. I had to meet Brandon.

"I can't," I finally replied and I watched as his face fell. "I've got to meet someone tonight."

"Oh," Seth mumbled. "That's fine. I'll catch you another time, yeah?"

Why was it that he was capable of pulling the most believable puppy dog face?

"Yeah, of course," I sighed and made my way over to the Bronco.

Getting into the driver's seat, I was instantly glad to be out of the rain and away from the temptation that was Seth. I put the car into the reverse and made my way out of the parking lot and towards East Divison Street, but not before I looked back in the rear-view to see Seth still standing in the exact same spot by the entrance.

He was just watching me as I went, hands in the pockets of his cut-off jeans, the rain not seeming to matter at all to him.


	8. First Meeting

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.**

* * *

**8: First Meeting**

The RidgeBack Cafe was on the corner of Fifth Avenue North-West, making it fairly easy to locate, despite the fact that I ended up having to park two blocks away in the early evening bustle.

I hadn't ever been to Seattle by myself before now so I was feeling more than a little on edge as I made my way inside the dimly lit restaurant. My grandparents had believed the story about going out with an old childhood friend to see a movie in Port Angeles, which would hopefully give me enough time to get back to the lake house before midnight.

The thing was, I didn't have any old childhood friends in town that I even remembered the names of - but Nanna and Grandpa didn't know that.

"Do you have a reservation, miss?" The dark-haired hostess asked me as I scanned the place for anyone who looked remotely like a Brandon.

I snapped back to her and tried to smile, certain that it came across as more of a grimace. "No but I'm meeting someone here."

She looked me up and down with a sour look on her face, and I remembered then that I was wearing sweats and an old Camp Rising Sun t-shirt. The sign to the right of her read FORMAL DRESS DURING EVENING SERVICE and I couldn't help the blush that spread onto my cheeks. I'd been in such a hurry to get here that I hadn't thought to change.

"We have a strict dress code," she told me in a hushed tone. "You're just going to have to find somewhere else to meet your little friend, miss."

"But I don't know who they..."

The hostess cut me off with a fake sigh and I had to bite down on my lip to fight the urge to tell her how much of a bitch she was being.

It was safe to say it didn't work.

"Look, _Gloria_," I began, reading her cursive name-tag. "This meeting is kind of important and this place isn't exactly The Four Seasons so could you cut me some damn slack?"

She just smiled that sour smile and sighed again, "As I said, you'll have to find somewhere else to have this meeting. Thank you for stopping by at the RidgeBack."

Before I could make a scene, I felt a cold hand on my shoulder and I turned to find a guy standing directly behind me. I'm pretty sure if I wasn't so pissed my jaw might have dropped to the floor, considering he was probably the most gorgeous albino-looking man I had ever seen in my life. At least I was sure he was albino - all the features were there, strange crimson eyes, ghostly skin, a white-blonde mess of hair.

Yep. Definitely albino and very possibly an Abercrombie model, too.

"I'm sure there's a misunderstanding here," he said softly, his reddish eyes meeting mine for a long second before flicking back to the hostess. "My date and I have a reservation for eight o'clock. Do you think you'd be able to find us a table in the back?"

Wait... What did he just say?

"Of course," the hostess beamed and I turned back to look at her in shock. "We have a table for two ready - if you'll just follow me this way please, sir."

The albino guy took me by the arm and gave me a meaningful look as he lead me towards an isolated table at the back of the restaurant.

I knew the right thing to do would be to pull away from him, however something inexplicable stopped me. Was it his strangely delicate touch? The way he'd amazingly calmed down the bitchy hostess? His godly good looks? I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but before I knew it I was sitting down and being handed a menu.

"Who the hell are you?" I whispered through the dim of the other diners.

The strange guy looked at me after a long moment then grinned, an action that probably would've had even a super model fall to her knees but it made my palms clammy for an entirely different reason.

He cleared his throat and said, "You look so much like you brother. I would have recognized you a mile off."

_Of course,_ I laughed inwardly._ This must be Brandon._

"My name's Wyatt Sinclair," he continued, throwing me completely off kilter. I was sure I had never heard that name before. "Brandon... _Couldn't make it_. He bestowed this pleasure upon me instead. I hope that's OK, Astrid?"

I tried not to frown but I couldn't help it.

"You said I looked like my brother. Did you know him?"

Wyatt threw his head back slightly and laughed as he said, "Yes, I knew Riley Biers very well. Some may even say we were good friends."

"Oh," I nodded, noting his use of past tense. "So did Brandon tell you why I wanted to meet him?"

"He said you had some questions about your brother - questions that he believed I would be better at answering,"

A waiter came to take our order and I looked down at the unopened menu and panicked. I hadn't thought to change, let alone withdraw any money from an ATM. I quickly scanned the pages to find the cheapest food but Wyatt placed his cold hand on mine and smiled.

"Have whatever you want," he told me. "A gentlemen never lets his friends pay."

"I didn't realize we were friends," I replied carefully, and I could see the waiter edging from foot to foot nervously.

But Wyatt seemed unfazed.

"That doesn't make me any less of a gentleman,"

I relented and ordered the original bean wrap, which I was told by the waiter was a house speciality. I couldn't help but notice that Wyatt ordered only a large glass of white wine, which he pushed to the side instead of drinking from.

"So shall we begin the inquisition?" He laughed, folding his hands on top of the table.

I held my finger up for a moment while I leaned down to get my backpack, and I offered him a slight smile as I retrieved the tape recorder and placed it down on the table cloth. I pressed _RECORD_ and mentally worked through the questions I had pre-planned before I began.

"What happened to my brother the night he disappeared?"

I eyed him carefully, waiting for hesitation or some small show of body language that would tell me if he was being dishonest.

Wyatt answered with a smirk as he unfolded his hands, "He met a woman."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You really need me to elaborate? He met a woman - a very unique woman, I might add - and he became completely infatuated with her."

I swear to God I nearly choked on my food.

As interesting as this news was it still didn't explain why Riley didn't come home. He had always been happy to show off his high school girlfriends, so what made this woman so different? Even if my parents hadn't have approved, they still would have preferred to have put up with the relationship rather than lose their son.

"So then what?" I coaxed.

"He stayed with her for a long while - about a year, I believe. That's how I met him."

I toyed with this information. "So then Brandon knew he was alive. You knew he was alive. None of you thought to tell anyone?"

Wyatt's expression changed from open and charming to completely unreadable in an instance. Maybe it was my imagination but I sure as hell thought his strange red eyes looked like burning pits of fire in the dim lighting of the restaurant. There was definitely something he didn't want to tell me.

"It was complicated, Astrid. Your brother got involved in a very delicate situation," he continued after an uneasy silence.

"Well, explain it to me then," I replied, growing frustrated, then as an afterthought quickly added, "Please, Wyatt."

"She had unresolved business with people that had wronged her in the past. Riley took it upon himself to defend her, Astrid, and he was..."

Wyatt was cut off by the sound of plates being smashed. My attention snapped to the other side of the restaurant, where a red-faced waitress was looking down in shock at the tray she'd dropped and a young Native American guy was trying to apologize or something.

Could it have been...?

I did a double take, uncertain at first whether the apologetic customer was who I thought it was. But no, I was wrong. He just looked a hell of a lot like him.

"You're shivering," Wyatt said, bringing me back from my thoughts.

I frowned down at myself. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just recovering from a head cold."

"Really? You look like you've just seen a ghost," he tried to laugh but the uneasy look in his eyes didn't go unnoticed. "Maybe we should get some fresh air, Astrid?"

"No," I told him quickly, gesturing at the tape recorder. "You were just telling me something interesting."

Wyatt sighed and began again, "Riley took it upon himself to defend her against some bad people. Real life monsters, you know? It didn't end well."

"Real life monsters?" I repeated with a snort.

He shook his head at me and smirked again, like I was some kind of naive child that he telling a bedtime story to.

"What do you mean?"

"As I told you before, it's complicated," he said softly.

I wasn't having any of his elusiveness. "Cut the crap, Wyatt. Just please tell me what happened?"

"Your brother was murdered by those monsters, Astrid. There you have it."

My body felt stupidly light as his words repeated again and again in my head.

Could it be true? That for an entire year that my family and I believed he was dead, Riley was living and well and _in love_ - just to end up dead after all? It didn't seem fair and it made me feel sick in a place I didn't even know existed.

I turned off the tape recorder and stuffed it into my backpack, then I got to my feet without really knowing what I was doing. I was on autopilot and it was all I could do to stop myself from breaking down in tears.

"Hey," Wyatt's soft voice was muffled as he reached for my arm. "I didn't mean to be so blunt. I'm sorry, Astrid."

I shook him off easily and headed out of the restaurant.

The thing was, I had seen this news coming a mile off so why did it feel like it had hit me as hard as a truck?

For eight years I'd known in the pit of my stomach that Riley was dead and there was nothing I could do. But the fact that he'd been alive for one of those years ate away at me deep inside. Every pitiful hope of some sort of a final goodbye had been taken from me not once - but twice.

_Your brother was murdered_.

Wyatt's words rang through my head as I hurried down the rainy street.

I reached for my cars keys with trembling hands when I felt a sudden rush of cold pass through me, like someone had walked straight over my grave. Turning round, I saw that Wyatt had followed me for the past two blocks.

His fiery eyes met mine through the darkness.

"I said I was sorry," he murmured. "It's very rude to leave someone at dinner like that."

I glared at him. "It's very rude to break the news that someone's brother is dead_ like that_."

There was a long period of silence as he slowly closed the distance between us.

"You're not sad," he stated with a small smile. "You're angry."

"I'm always angry," I told him, which wasn't that much of an exaggeration.

"I can help you with that anger,"

His expression was dark and unreadable again, and I fought the urge to squirm under the intensity of it as I considered what he'd said.

I glanced towards the Bronco. "How exactly can you help?"

"I can find out who killed Riley," he said. "Give me a little bit of time and - with you're help, of course - we'll make sure they pay for they did, Astrid. Use that anger to help me. I have the power and the resources to put this right. All you have to do is _trust_ me. OK?"

I didn't even have to think about it as I gave him my answer, and it was only then that I realized my hands had stopped trembling.

* * *

**A/N: Pheeeew! I am so sorry this has taken my so long to update - it's been sunny for once where I live and I've been spending the past few weeks tanning and reading like crazy, which admittedly drew my attention away from Northern Skies. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. But as always, I'm back and I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say about this chapter. Please let me know!**


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